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LP
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BEWITH 121LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1979. Spatial & Co is a synth-drizzled, spaced-out bass-heavy discoid-funk masterpiece from French disco lord and Arpadys maestro Sauveur Mallia. Recorded for French library label Tele Music, in 1979, it's by turns cosmic funk and creeping crime funk, bursting with low slung, killer basslines, loping drum breaks, and sparkling percussion. It's so funky it hurts. Confidently swaggering out the gate is "Future Vision", with its loping yet dexterous bassline across strutting beats setting the scene. "Cosmic News", with its live crowd noises over killer bass work is reminiscent of Bernard & Nile's "Chic Cheer". The bass vs synth workout "Baby Bass" increases the propulsion whilst the dark and mysterious vibes of "Star Odyssey" serve as cosmic respite from being overpowered by funk. The temperature and tempo are raised with the bouncing sophisticated funk of "Meteor One", a slinky interstellar instrumental of the highest order before the sultry, melodic "Bass For Love" offers some attractive slow-mo sleaze to close out the first side. Opening up Side B, the menacing, beatless "Space Alert" sounds like all those sci-fi theme tunes from your childhood, synthesized into one glorious (black) whole. "Galaxy Wars" is next, another majestic cosmic gem, sans drums. The ultra-percussive flex of "All The Bass" sees the return of the frenetic funky bass and neck-snapping drums. The stretched-out funk of "O.V.N.I. Telex" is irresistible and cavernous in scope whilst the swirling, dramatic "Galactics" is an ominous yet melodic wonder. The throwaway funk-lite "Animals Bass" is a bit of a daft way to close out this otherwise flawless set but, hey, flirting with perfection is probably always more fun than actually achieving it. Sauveur Mallia is a crucial figure in the history of electronic and dance music and a hugely underrated French library bass player and composer from the Arpadys/Voyage crew. Remastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Pete Norman. Original and iconic sleeve restored by Be With Records.
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LP
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BEWITH 122LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1979. Spatial & Co Vol. 2 may well be the best album in the Spatial & Co series. It's absolutely flawless. Again, created by French disco lord and Arpadys maestro Sauveur Mallia for French library label Tele Music in 1979, it leans far more into the space disco sound than the clean cosmic funk of its predecessor. And it's all the more thrilling for it. Wide-eyed opener "Discomax" is starts as pure piano-disco brilliance with a bassline to die for before heading off into wigged-out territory, all acidic squelches and jaw-dropping percussive breakdowns. "Space People" follows, an eerie, half-beatless sci-fi synth workout played out against a hauntingly metronomic pulse for the first half -- proper slow-mo space disco business -- before the beat kicks in, the electric guitar solo wails beautifully and the bassline that emerges at its conclusion rides in on some other shit. Closing out the A-side, the six minute long "Bass Power" is, unsurprisingly, a deep, low-end roller with head-nod drums, whizzing synths, blissed out ambient vibes and Mallia's otherworldly bass playing super high in the mix. It's white-hot funk, make no mistake, and it sounds like a re-geared library version of Roxy Music. Side B is laced firstly by "Holidays Morning", an emotional disco-pop groover, all electric guitars, skipping drums and synthy bleeps with more than a few moments of pure driving funk. One for the deep heads, longtime favorite "Electric Maneges" follows, a bleepy, haunted dancehall gem, uncut tropical Balearic-funk from another dimension. The sophisticated digi-soul of "Loving Discovery" comes on like a weird, interplanetary Sade instrumental, all swelling synths, warm keys and syrupy guitar rhythms. Arguably saving the best 'til last, the fierce, proto-techno of "Exotic Guide" closes out this extraordinary set. The intro genuinely sounds like Detroit would a good few years later -- just wild -- before it glides into a driving percussive funk break complete with both stabbing, insistent synths and those of a more winding, laconic variety. The one complaint? It's over far too soon. Sauveur Mallia is a crucial figure in the history of electronic and dance music and a hugely underrated French library bass player and composer from the Arpadys/Voyage crew. This is just the beginning of Be With's Mallia -- Tele Music reissue campaign. Remastered by Simon Francis. Cut by Pete Norman. Original and iconic sleeve restored by Be With Records.
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BORNBAD 143CD
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In the ever-expanding universe of '70s and '80s French library music, Sauveur Mallia holds a special place; his career, multifaceted work and the uniqueness of his talent have made him an exemplary figure in the unsung world of library musicians. In those years a few of them, often for economic reasons, would set off on a space conquest, taking along just a few synthesizers. Their ambition well surpassed the modesty of their means; it was in turn the condition to their experimentations with sound which were to create a new sonic space: that of a nation tumbling into modernity. From French soil to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, there were just a few steps to take. It's with the label Tele Music, boarding the spaceship Arpadys, along with the Voyage crew, that Sauveur Mallia took the big leap. CD version includes 16-page liner notes in French and English.
You had also formed Arpadys with the members of Voyage?: Arpadys was me with the same team. I composed, arranged and recorded Arpadys with the same producer as for Voyage, Roger Tokarz. In that period I was listening to German bands a lot, like Kraftwerk, Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. I was very much into space music and I started working at home with my synths. The approach was completely different than to what I was used to as a professional bass player.
Which synthesizers were you using?: Old mono stuff, not even polyphonics. Three Korgs and some Moogs. I didn't use drum machines yet, but played with the drummer of Voyage. I recorded drum and guitar parts in the studio then went to England for the mixing. But most of the album was recorded at mine.
When did you start making library music?: I always worked with Roger Tokarz, who produced Voyage and Arpadys. With my friends who were members of Voyage we also made library records for his label Tele Music with different themes we proposed based on sports, the news, etc. I worked in my studio. Originally Arpadys was a library record Roger wanted to commercially release, Industrial Rock. Not much came out of it at the time, yet its become really sought-after in recent years.
Was library music a way to experiment freely?: Yes, I did what I wanted, without any restriction. Then people used it or they didn't. On each record, there were long versions of each track and we made 60, 30 and 15 second edits -- it gave medias the choice. The constraints came with custom sound-design for the radio, with jingles and France Info's credits I made at home solo with my machines for 17 years, then for RTL, Europe1, and for quite a few TV shows.
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BORNBAD 143LP
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2023 restock; LP version. Includes printed undercover and download code. In the ever-expanding universe of '70s and '80s French library music, Sauveur Mallia holds a special place; his career, multifaceted work and the uniqueness of his talent have made him an exemplary figure in the unsung world of library musicians. In those years a few of them, often for economic reasons, would set off on a space conquest, taking along just a few synthesizers. Their ambition well surpassed the modesty of their means; it was in turn the condition to their experimentations with sound which were to create a new sonic space: that of a nation tumbling into modernity. From French soil to the farthest reaches of the cosmos, there were just a few steps to take. It's with the label Tele Music, boarding the spaceship Arpadys, along with the Voyage crew, that Sauveur Mallia took the big leap.
You had also formed Arpadys with the members of Voyage?: Arpadys was me with the same team. I composed, arranged and recorded Arpadys with the same producer as for Voyage, Roger Tokarz. In that period I was listening to German bands a lot, like Kraftwerk, Klaus Schulze and Tangerine Dream. I was very much into space music and I started working at home with my synths. The approach was completely different than to what I was used to as a professional bass player.
Which synthesizers were you using?: Old mono stuff, not even polyphonics. Three Korgs and some Moogs. I didn't use drum machines yet, but played with the drummer of Voyage. I recorded drum and guitar parts in the studio then went to England for the mixing. But most of the album was recorded at mine.
When did you start making library music?: I always worked with Roger Tokarz, who produced Voyage and Arpadys. With my friends who were members of Voyage we also made library records for his label Tele Music with different themes we proposed based on sports, the news, etc. I worked in my studio. Originally Arpadys was a library record Roger wanted to commercially release, Industrial Rock. Not much came out of it at the time, yet its become really sought-after in recent years.
Was library music a way to experiment freely?: Yes, I did what I wanted, without any restriction. Then people used it or they didn't. On each record, there were long versions of each track and we made 60, 30 and 15 second edits -- it gave medias the choice. The constraints came with custom sound-design for the radio, with jingles and France Info's credits I made at home solo with my machines for 17 years, then for RTL, Europe1, and for quite a few TV shows.
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